Every day, more people continue to find the Help Nathan Buy Firefly Facebook page and join up. Some folks weren’t ever aware of the original plan, which was a way to measure financial interest, not collect money. Some weren’t aware of the Big Damn Plan, which came to a screeching halt, however, when the Whedon family expressed that they did not support it (later clarified to express uninvolvement, but enough that we felt uncomfortable continuing down that road). We said we wouldn’t move forward if that was the creators’ wishes, and so we kept our word — and shut down. We continued to get inquiries directly from fans about investing in fan-funded productions, even if we couldn’t start with Firefly. So, we researched a great deal about the legal challenges to form such an organization and built a solid plan, which led to the transition to Unstoppable Signals.

Additionally, we also began efforts to promote Mr. Fillion’s favorite charity, Kids Need to Read (KNTR). If we couldn’t achieve our primary objective, we wanted to at least do something right. So, we did a direct push, raising a few thousand dollars, and helping to green-light some wonderful projects for KNTR. We did the T-shirt design contest, and with your help and generosity, more proceeds are going to the charity to buy more books for kids who really need them.

So what happens next? People still wonder, “Can we start the ball rolling and buy/fund Firefly?”

Unfortunately, the short answer is “No.” We felt we owed it to you, the fans, to try to make this idea work by going through the proper channels. So, after we posted our “shut down” announcement, we politely asked The Powers That Be what they thought…and received little news. The critical first hurdle has always been this: Will Twentieth Century Fox negotiate with a fan-funded organization over Firefly continuation rights? We’ve been told, sadly, that’s not possible at this time. As such, we can’t even raise funds with the hope of rights acquisition.

We do sincerely hope that Fox and Mr. Whedon will eventually get Serenity back in the sky, whether on television, the silver screen, or elsewhere. But, for now, this is not the way.

Nonetheless, we felt that you, the fans, deserved an opportunity to decide what shall become of this grand movement. You’ve done the impossible so many times. You pledged over $1 million for a company you knew nothing about and that did not even exist on paper yet. You did good works for charity. You showed your love in countless ways for Firefly and Serenity. You even played David against the Goliath of all science fiction movies, The Empire Strikes Back — and held your ground.

You are indeed mighty. Thanks for being you. Thanks for being fun and positive. The letters and words of encouragement we have received, especially at some pretty low points of this campaign, gave us inspiration going forward. We don’t want to let you down, and some of us believe that there are still some very cool projects we can work on together and show that, indeed, no power in the ‘Verse can stop us.

But first, we’re guilty of three things that were mistakes that need owning up to:

We’re guilty of masking our identities — it was for the explicit reason of a direct family request. Please respect that, even if you don’t agree. Nonetheless, you gave us your trust, and for that, we thank you.

We’re also guilty of thinking out loud about our plans. We did this because, to us, this was a fan-driven movement and people had a right to know what we thought was the direction. Anyone who thinks the BDP was half-baked is welcome to see the dynamic multinational business structure we’d put together for it. It was always reliant on a creative aspect that we couldn’t control. When it appeared the creative folks were against it, we respected that, and we stopped. We sought to find a way to make it work by reaching out to some of those individuals, but we were not going to raise false hopes to you. We tried, but it didn’t work.

Finally, we were guilty of not communicating enough. We spent a lot of time in “the bunker” and not enough time answering the concerns of folks who keep the fans’ interests at heart or those who were interested in how we’d accomplish certain things. That won’t be the case in the future, as you might imagine.

So here we are, out here driftin’ in the ‘Verse. Out of gas, comms are out, and the shuttles are off. Looks like our miracle ain’t comin’, either — so that button might as well sit and collect dust.

In the end, this was always your movement, never ours. We’re not sure where to go from here, so it only makes sense to ask you, the ones who made this happen. So we pose it to you — what do you wish to happen with this community we’ve got here? What do you want to do with the thousands of voices here all with the same dream?

Here are some small ideas, soon to be big plans, that we view as options:

Create a Browncoat social networking site or Facebook application where you can all interact, promote all things in the ‘Verse and run guerrilla campaigns to convince Fox directly to create more Firefly.

Create a fan-funded production company anyway – but one that would be creating new content for the science fiction universe broadly. We only ask this because of the flood of e-mails we got on the topic. If the powers that be ever change their mind, we’d be there. If they don’t, we can work on other projects together, trying to address a genre that is plagued by unjust cancellations and complaints of low profits despite its unimaginable importance to our cultural fabric.

Pick another charity, and run a campaign to support that charity, too, in addition to helping Kids Need to Read.

All of the above.

Quit. Shut down. The angels ain’t comin’.

[poll id=”2″]

Whatever you choose… it’s been a pleasure, Browncoats. We will honor your will. If you choose to continue in some capacity, whether to continue promoting Firefly, pursuing other productions, or doing good works, we don’t want to let you down. If not, that’s okay, too. We’re not going anywhere without you.

You, the fans, truly are the leaf on the wind. Thank you, from the bottom of all of our hearts at Unstoppable Signals. With your help, we have soared to heights we never dreamed. Whatever you choose, either way, it’s been one helluva ride.

34 Comments

1. A Firefly fund, not to be used to buy Firefly, but to promote it. People subscribe or pledge $5 a month to the cause. The money is used to put Serenity in theaters, put DVDs of Firefly in hospitals, wounded warrior’s clinics, etc. to spread the show and fan base. At the end of every two or three months the remaining money in the fund is donated to KNTR. If 10,000 people subscribe (a high number, I realize, but I think that we can do it), then you get $50,000 a month, a hefty sum. Even a $1 a month would be enough to promote Firefly and then donate to KNTR. Also, subscribers might have access to things like a free t-shirt competition, a competition for the Browncoats: Redemption movie, etc.

2. A series of coordinated letter writing campaigns. Every month or two weeks a new target is acquired by the leaders, be it Science Channel Advertisers, Netflix, or Fox. We show our support for Firefly by making ourselves known to them in polite, well-written letters/emails.

3. A free advertising campaign. You guys build a banner ad and get some of the 100,000 fans (many of whom *must* be web developers) to put the banner on pages of their site to promote the cause. I would be happy to put banners on my site to do this.

Also – By supporting charities we can raise awareness. Becoming in the top ten groups of Freerice and Kiva would show the support for Firefly, and while it might not be a determining factor for Fox/Universal, it would help legitimize the movement/show the charitable efforts…

krlaw6

Posted April 8, 2011 at 9:06 AM

jbarrow:

I just wanted to say that I think your ideas are spectacularly good ones. I particularly like number one. In addition to putting the show in front of thousands of people who would otherwise never see it (pretty much guaranteeing some percentage of those would become new fans), it also boosts the sales of the DVDs, making the franchise that much more appealing to the folks at Fox. Honestly, I don’t see a downside to it.

One possible suggestion – rather than donating a portion that is left over to charities, what about earmarking a specific percentage to charities? So the perception would be that, rather than we just give anything “left over” to charities, it’s a built-in part of the plan. The percentage could be voted on by the members – it doesn’t have to be high – but it would be consistent, and an integral part of the plan.

Earmarking a specific percentage would be a good idea. And thank you for liking my ideas.

The reason for number one in my mind is, although the original HNBF was hit by MT’s tweet due to money changing hands, here the money has a different purpose. People understand that they are donating not to buy the rights, but simply to spread the word. This way, Fox sees that DVD sales are up, thousands more people watch Firefly, money automatically gets donated to charity, and I don’t foresee any issues as to how the money should be spent. Perhaps a committee of Browncoats could decide…

krlaw6

Posted April 8, 2011 at 11:27 AM

I just realized another possible benefit of your first suggestion: if at any point Fox became more receptive to the idea of crowdfunding, the admins of this page could then turn around and say to the community (which already exists, and doesn’t need to be rallied), “Look – our dollars CAN make this work; we’ve gotten Fox’s interest with what we’ve done already.” At that point, I’m pretty sure whatever skeptics remain would be convinced, and the money would pour in (within the limits of everyone’s budget, of course).

Just a thought.

TomOhm

Posted April 8, 2011 at 5:36 PM

Jbarrots … idea #1… BRILLIANT!

This has to be on the table of ideas to be considered. With this idea we at the least can make damn sure they can’t stop the signal!

Do you know if the admins/how to get the admins to consider this idea?

tom.pettit

Posted April 8, 2011 at 8:24 PM

we’re watching, and looking. we have a whole list of ideas and will add yours to it! also, we’re going to post more in-depth posts over the next week about each idea.

Binky

Posted May 31, 2011 at 8:04 PM

Absolutely love the first Idea, I think its a great way forward which would let people feel like they’re doing something positive to help firefly, without the fear they’re money would ever go to waste.

I also feel its the most pro-active way to get it back on the waves. I know letter campaigns and advertising are great, and definitely help, but all in all, Fox/whoever isn’t really bothered about how much interest it has, its about how much money they’re making.

One final point though: “Even a $1 a month would be enough to promote Firefly and then donate to KNTR” – as much as I’m for giving to charity, I would prefer to know that most of my money is going mainly to firefly (with the leftovers going to charity) if I put in for that, otherwise I’d just give the money to charity. I know its a sounds a bit cold n’all, but I think getting quality entertainment out to those hurtin’ is still charitable especially when combined with separate charity campaigns and the left overs .

Possibly a certain amount of box sets and other stuff a month goal, with the rest donated would be good?

ben lincoln

Posted April 7, 2011 at 9:35 PM

i have supported you guys since i found out about you about day seven of the campain since then i have heald out hope that you would make it. i have spred the word and then some i have met fans of firefly that i did not know existed i have tuched the sky.
so if you try this crowdfunding idear with something else thats fine with me i am ready to support all sci-fy attempts no way will i ever lay down arms but i can suvive a bit longer with out firefly it has been nine years what is a few more. i will support you from the edge as i live in australia and i will be ready for when the time is right to strike back at fox. and get the show we love back on the air

vinyahuinewen

Posted April 7, 2011 at 9:39 PM

I think we Browncoats can be something else, something greater. We’ve already shown our love and dedication as a fanbase, and Whedon can take it or leave it. We’re in a unique position here, though. We’ve already, as you’ve pointed out, done a lot of mighty things in this short period of time. Even though the BDP didn’t work out…well…we may be on to something in helpin’ to carry others.

Not only am I a Browncoat, but I’m a zombie enthusiast as well. Some cities have Zombie Squads, on the lookout for the Zomb Apoc. When it happens, we’ll be ready. In the meantime, a lot of these squads (They call it “for fun”) also get together and do a lot of charity and community work to help out their local communities whilst they remain zombie-free.

The point I’m getting at here is that together we are mighty, and together Browncoats could really change the world for good. I like this idea of raising funds in our own unique way, with the design contests. It spreads the word of Firefly, it spreads the mission of Browncoat loyalty, and it helps out a lot of people in need. This could become a really big movement. We just gotta start looking beyond ourselves. We could become a force for the ‘Verse…hell…local Browncoat chapters might even band together and do some hands-on work (probably without even havin’ to highjack medicine from a train first!)

So I vote we keep this going, and we keep being Big Damn Heroes.

Conora

Posted April 8, 2011 at 1:47 PM

Always good to stumble across another ZSer out in the intraverse, especially a browncoat ZSer to boot.

Anyway to throw my two coins in, perhaps the better angle is to look towards the rights to create original works set in the ‘verse. Might not be Firefly but it’s the same ‘verse and with the right permissions the old cast can guest star now and then. It’s not the high road nor the low road, it’s some place in between. And it’s a start, at any rate it’s food for thought.

Until then we have the browncoat community and a mighty strong will to do some good for the ‘verse. Both ‘verses I might add as well, Firefly and ours so let’s keep doing what needs to be done. And if we aim to misbehave along the way then so much the better.

Firefly seems to appeal to people with a soul. I don’t mean nuthin’ with any religiosity, I just mean folk who got more’n a passing interest in the fortunes of other. Build the good works into the fandom-related activity whereby we sit around the campfire enjoying our collective appreciation through story, and song, and craft. But at the same time, we pass around a cup and do a little takin’-up for those who ain’t so lucky.

And when the morning comes, get our gear on and set out for places what have the aforementioned folks-in-need. Show the world that we can do more than just get frothy on the internetz. Show them that a bunch of shiny people maybe can’t make a big ole difference against all the misery out there … but we sure can try just the same. Like vinyahuinewen said, let’s be Big Damn Heroes.

Beats sittin’ around grumbling about how rotten the world can be.

“I don’t care what you believe in, just believe in it.”

Arielle

Posted April 8, 2011 at 1:07 AM

Charity’s always great, and supporting Firefly in one way or another is probably why most of us are here. I voted for “all of the above” because of that, but I think the idea of fan-funded production in general is terrific and I wouldn’t want to lose that.

I think any community needs something to be built around… maybe that’s something we can build this around? I don’t know if stuff like Browncoats: Redemption is possible for any other property but if it is we could promote such endeavors. Maybe reach beyond the ‘Verse… I love Firefly but there’s folks who might come here from other fandoms if we’re promoting fan-funded production, who’d then both be able to help do good works through charity and discover Firefly.

I dunno, ruminating late at night, but whatever it is I’m liking the direction.

eyliena

Posted April 8, 2011 at 1:08 AM

I have always wanted some kind of fan-production thing. As a writer with many writer friends, I’ve always wondered how such a thing might come about

Aranel

Posted April 8, 2011 at 10:02 AM

As I’ve stated before… somewhere, sometime during all this…. TO ME one of the most amazing things of this endeavor was seeing the power of Facebook (and hence, all social media) to raise and flag and get believers to follow. This indeed helps us to be mighty and so whatever decision is made to continue the ‘fight’ (to be determined at a later date) I am happy to do so. I think we all need a since of pride and community. This site has give me both. Thanks for everything you have and will continue to do!

Alexander

Posted April 8, 2011 at 1:54 PM

Promoting Firefly is valuable.

Finding new, fan-based ways to fund content production could be even more valuable. The investment model may be fading (as it is in other fields), which means if we’re going to continue to have content produced, the people who want to enjoy it need to be able to pay for it in advance, rather than having investors pay for it in the hopes that fans will later view ads or buy tickets or subscriptions in sufficient quantity to make a profit for the investors. Basically, this means going back to patronage, but with large numbers of patrons somehow organized — and Unstoppable Signals might be well-placed to try this, because Browncoats have enough in common that they’re likely to like a lot of the same ideas.

But if I want to do something for a charity, I’ll pick one myself; I don’t need an actor to pick one for me.

Mac89

Posted April 8, 2011 at 1:58 PM

I think we need a more boots-on-ground (to use the Army term) approach. Winning internet polls and helping out on freerice.com are awesome, but if we were to organize on a more local level, and get out in public (in brown coats, of course) …in support of charities would garner us some much-needed mainstream media attention.

Being a well-known, organized internet fandom is all well and good. Taking it to streets and becoming a well-known charitable organization comprised of sci-fi nerds who love their fellow man is the next step.

That said, if we do get organized on a more local level, my advice is avoid anything connected to politics. We don’t need Browncoats being thought of like Brownshirts.

(Note: This is a repost of my comment from the HNBF link.)

Jesse

Posted April 8, 2011 at 2:01 PM

I would like to have/be a part of a much more serious discussion in the fan production side of things.

We would seriously need to talk about size and scope, product turnaround, and community involvement vs creative vision. Sci-Fi often demands more in the way of visuals than we would probably be ready to initially give it, which would allow us to expand the genre with even more character-oriented work. We could wait on releasing the first “episode” (or what have you) of something until we were ready to really put big money into it, but then turnaround would probably be a problem for the multitude of producers. And finally, that many people paying will want to have a say (I would think) in the creation of their show. I don’t know if everyone would simply see it as fundraising, which means the question of where does the larger community involvement stop and where does the creative vision of a smaller group of people begin? And who makes the decisions as to who is in that smaller group? I think the answers are, essentially, obvious (being that the larger community may vote on positions, approve overall projects, and so on), but I think it would still need to be heavily discussed.

Anyway, I love the idea. I don’t know if that came across, but I do. And I’m terribly sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere, and I’ve missed it. I would appreciate a point in the right direction if it has.

Agreed – we have more detailed plans that we’ll be sharing over the next few days about each option to continue to hammer it out.

I look greatly forward to the feedback of all the amazing people who’ve commented already when we start diving into the details.

Alexander

Posted April 8, 2011 at 3:35 PM

I don’t think we could have everyone come on board as a producer.

We could, however, have a system where people put forward proposals, fans discuss them, and people vote on which ones to back — perhaps each contributor would be able to say, these are the ones I’d be willing to support, and of those, these are my ranked preferences. (The voting system would have to accommodate at least those two variables.) Then we could see what ideas have enough support to be fan-funded.

The deal would also have to include licensing terms protecting fanfiction and fanfilm based on whatever the fans fund — and enabling it to be done for profit, or at least ensuring that everyone involved can be paid appropriately. All such terms would have to be based on the premise that the “investors” are not in it to make a profit, but *are* in it to promote the creation of quality, fan-backed SF — and therefore that those who take the funding, while entitled to make a good living if they can produce content that merits it, must pay back the “investors” by ensuring that the rights are available for those who wish to make fan content. This is, obviously, a very vague and perhaps confused statement; if there’s interest, I’d be glad to work (alone or with others) on developing it further.

I fully approve of the first three options. I would help in any way my schedule and abilities allow. Getting a way for us all to communicate together would be a great way for us all to network, and I think should be the first step to the other options. As far as charity goes, I think it would be best for us to network together to join in with the Browncoat charity endeavors already in motion, so as to not spread ourselves to thin. Focus ourselves and what is already being done. And through the networking, we could get together with the other fan production groups, such as the ones who made “Redemption,” and use their knowledge and expertise to move forward into filmaking. Remember: together we are mighty. And I aim to misbehave.

yangler

Posted April 8, 2011 at 5:50 PM

With Firefly off the table, how ’bout we focus on creating a universe that’s pretty darn close. A Fan-funded production company could target buying the rights to Chris Wooding’s Firefly-ish books that follow the Tales of the Ketty Jay. That is, if they’re still available. Two books, Retribution Falls and The Black Lung Captain, are currently in print. It would be amazing if done with the original Firefly cast as the various characters. Let’s aim to misbehave, people!

Gaelmin

Posted April 8, 2011 at 10:40 PM

That last option shouldn’t even be a polling option. Browncoats dont surrender, we simply wait quietly in the shadows. We waited quietly in the shadows for year, hoping that The series would see some miracle, some amazing turn of fortune. Alas it seems our ultimate wishes will no see fruition.

However, we can hold on to one small victory. All the amazing financial and charitable accomplishments not withstanding, Firefly/Serenity’s fans have done an amazing job of bringing the series further into the light of day, bringing it to the attention of untold viewers who otherwise would not have given it much thought. We can count this among our victories as epic as any on the battlefield. The more fans, the stronger we become, the louder our voices become. More artists will be inspired to create their own stories of the ‘Verse, be they on film or parchment.

This community has changed the lives of children. This is no small victory. These children may yet become the next generation of Captains, of Browncoats, of science fiction fans. The more children we educate today, the brighter the future of society and the Arts becomes with them. Keep up the good work. If we cannot rely on the “Alliance” (so to speak) to educate our youth, then it falls to us to do so ourselves.

Orloth

Posted April 8, 2011 at 10:49 PM

As most of the sentiment at the time of me writing this seems to be going for a fan-funded venture, I would like to point out a few things. In no particular order:

1.) Some of the biggest organizations in the world are fan-funded. Chief among them, the Roman Catholic Church. Fiction and Religion serve very similar purposes in our lives; they teach us to be more then what we could ordinarily be.

2.) Closer to my heart then any religious doctrine are the works of the three artists: J. Michael Straczynski, Aaron Sorkin and Joss Whedon, whose work has constantly shown me that good men and women can be extraordinary and do the impossible.

3.) Things don’t need to cost as much as some people think they need to, especially when it’s something people love. You might be surprised how much you can get done at cost or at huge discounts when it’s something people legitimately care about.

4.) Bureaucracy will only kill this thing. If this is to work, everyone who is giving the money needs to be ready and willing to surrender control of the project to those in charge. Even and especially if it fails. There are too many of us for us all to have a say on everything.

5.) Rebooting Firefly may never be possible, and trying without all the parts will only be an empty imitation. If this project is to succeed, it may need to go in an entirely different direction for a time. This needs to be kept in mind, and our dedication needs to be tempered by prudence and wisdom.

My 2 cents.

Anoel

Posted April 9, 2011 at 1:20 PM

I love the idea of a fan funded production company however I do think it’s important to remember that in the end, my main goal is to get back Firefly. I don’t care how it’s done, I just want to make this TV show continues in the way it was meant to be created. If you’ve talked to Fox, have you asked what it would take to get Firefly back? I don’t get care about rights, as long as the money is going towards getting the show back, Fox can can have the rights for all I care. So what do we need to do? I want to know the steps to get it back. And in regards to the actors’ other projects, this doesn’t necessarily need to be immediate and if they needed to do back stories of only certain characters, a smaller group, whatever, I’m happy with that until we can get everyone back. Just give me more Firefly!

CatCanDeux

Posted April 10, 2011 at 9:19 AM

Two suggestions – one is local, one is national/global. Local – look to the Jimmy Buffett “Parrothead” structure. Independently of Mr. Buffett, long time fans (Parrotheads) have formed chapters around “Partying with a Purpose”. They get together, have fun, talk about his music/lifestyle/etc but also select a local cause to support in whatever fashion is needed. I think Browncoats could do something similar, maybe even better.

National/global – put our combined weight into changing our governments (peacefully). Whedon was correct when he wrote in Serenity that they will “try to make people better” or at least try to do things “for our own good”. I don’t think we should stand by and let that happen. We can be a voice for honor, respect and not having someone else plan our lives for us – just like our beloved characters in Firefly.

Take these and run with them – but whether you do or not, I aim to misbehave.

jassmith

Posted April 10, 2011 at 10:17 AM

Hello everybody. I’m toatally new here but have been keeping up with the mission and pleged last month. So I don’t know every avenue that’s been suggested, but here’s been my take. Fox would never negotiate with us, the fans to sell them the property but maybe that’s just it. Maybe we shouldn’t be trying to deal with them either.

Instead, what if we negotiated with someone with either a lot of cash, a channel or a whole lot of influence to act on our behalf? What if we presented a proposal, consisting of the numbers- (DVD sales, what we’ve already accomplished) and our stories and why this particular saga speaks to so many of us on a profound level. How in 2-3 years how much money would availible to the station that could say, “from the Director of the Avengers comes the return of one of the greatest si-fi franchises of all time. This person could negotiate not a purchase of the rights but a license giving them the ability to produce the show for a window.
So we go to Mark Cuban or Spielberg or Lucas, Bryan Singer or hell, why not Disney, as they are in the Joss buisness right now through Avengers. In a way, I feel like our return to this universe and the completion of this story are inevitable, it’s just a question of when, and how.
Get Mark Cuban